does it ever stop???

September 26th, 2007
I’m only 7 training days away from my oct 18 IR check ride. I get a call this morning from my cfi…”I have a sinus headache”… “i need to cancel”
Lets back up again to the beginning. I was at 10 hours tt. I had just solo’ed and my very first cfi says, sorry but its time for me to go! That one was not a surprise. Young guy just out of SLU’s aviation program, and was offered a gig flying the beech b58 barron…ok so thats a no brainer (I heard it wasn’t long after that a commuter in the NE flying dash-8’s picked him up). So i bounce around trying out a couple cfi’s…why is it so hard to find a good one. Finally…I find a guy, Lou…72 y/o been flying for 55 years. Lou was good, unfortunately Lou is no longer with us. what over 30,000 hours in GA couldnt do, it seems a bout with cancer did. If you ever flew into K02 Perryville MO prior to 6/02 you probably met him. He is missed! fast forward to 3/3/06 nearly four years out of the left seat, thanks to my new wife, and father-in-law I take to the sky’s again. The guy I buy my share of the C150/150 from introduces me to my next CFI. He is a nice guy, very knowledgeable, but after too much wasted time i realize this guy is more of a passenger then an instructor. I find myself walking away from the lesson saying…what did i just learn??? lets move up 9 more months. DEC 06. I sell out of the C!%) and Buy into a share of a Mooney M20j! WOW, talk about an airplane. I loved it! only problem I still had not finished my IR and now I’m learning how to fly a complex 200mph airplane…that was a handful. the change finally made me realize i need to find a new instructor. My “training” in the m20j consisted of a few flight with no real objective. So here i go on the cfi hunt again. I bounced through a couple. One guy was pretty good, but he up a left due to a health issue in the family.
 THEN, it happends One of the partners goes out and does a gear up in the mooney. 70 hours on a new engine, and prop! been over 3 months and the *&^%^*$^%plane is still bent and sitting and waiting!
So, Off i go on another search for a CFI and a Plane. I find an archer ll for an unbelievable deal. also find a cfi at the same fbo. great! Im back in business, or am I?
First flight with MR. new cfi. well, not what i hoped for. He’s green, very green. Not that that is a problem all by itself. I know we all have to start somewhere. So i decided to give the guy a chance. Beside Im so close! the next week rolls around and we have some low clouds woohoo, I have 10 hours actual and try to get as much as possible. So i show up to the fbo, he’s there…Lets go!!! Well, he says, the clouds are to low…ok, so lets file and go. “i’m not current right now” he says…..WHAT? this guy is “teaching” me instruments, but he cannot fly on them…ok. I can kinda understand that. I know what cfi’s make. Its not a lot and its not cheap to rent a plane these days. So i gently prompt this guy to start on it! I missed to good soft ifr days. the next week rolls. show up and same as last week, really great low soft IFR. Did CFI get current? NO! ok, another great flying day gone. next day, same thing. after sitting around for about 3 hours the clouds finally lift. I tell mr. cfi ok we are going up now. your flying and your getting current! 1.5 later he has a hold, nav, and 3 approaches. Ok all he has to do is get three more before next week Which was my planned long IR cross country. I informed him we needed to do this regardless of the weather vmc or imc. Its planned for next thursday. wednesday, the day before, the weather is nasty, i ask him if he is current, and i hear no! On the phone i go, Looking for yet another cfi. I really try to be understanding and giving, but sometimes you have to cut your losses and move on. Finally get another guy on the phone make some arrangments tell him i will schedule with him next week! No sooner then i get off the phone with him, i get a phone call from my cfi…I”M CURRENT, he tells me. ok, fine back on track i guess for the long CC scheduled for tomorrow…
Well, I wish i could say the long cross country was perfect, but it wasnt. It showed a lot of my weaknesses. I did walk away with about 2 more hours actual!
BUT, now after him cancelling today I have 6 more training day’s before check ride! oh my, what to do?